Obituary of William E. Ossenkop, Jr.

William Elmer Ossenkop Jr. passed away on July 12, 2014 a month shy of his 89th birthday in Claremore, OK. William E. Ossenkop Jr.’s life will be celebrated at 11:00 A.M. on August 08, 2014 at the Memorial Park Cemetery, Tulsa, OK with Military Honors in a Gravesite Service. William or “Bill”, as he was endeared by family and friends, and “Ozzie” thru-out his younger and wilder days as a marine sergeant and college student at OSU in the early-to-mid 1920’s. The Ossenkopfs immigrated to America from Germany in the 1880’s. Their journey brought them to St. Louis, MO, via the Mississippi River, at which time the family dropped the “f” from Ossenkopf. In 1906, the Ossenkops migrated to Muskogee, OK to become farmers, where Bill Jr. was born in 1925 to William and Mary Frances. Bill enjoyed the company of his sister Shirley until her passing in 2007. Sgt. William E. Ossenkop Jr. served in the Marines Corps honorably during World War II as an Electrician, aboard Naval Aircraft carriers in Hawaii installing rebuilt engines into repaired aircraft damaged during combat. Ozzie maintained friendships with his closest comrades until their life’s ends. Ozzie was a proud member of his Fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon when he graduated from OSU in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Again, Ozzie made lifelong friends with whom four of which annually vacationed in Durango, CO until life’s ends. Bill enjoyed a long career working in petroleum, actively serving at the First Presbyterian Church, and resided in Tulsa for most of his life two blocks from one of his best friend’s house. Bill married his wife Stella Maxine Ham, mother of two; Mackie Jean and Jackie Wayne, New Year’s Eve of 1959. Maxine passed in July of 1994 and Mackie passed in January of 2010. Bill enjoyed many years of life with his surviving son Jack; niece & nephew; Karen & Steve; seven grandchildren; Laura, Todd, Melissa, Jeff, Jerry, Max, and William; twelve great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandson. Bill and Max spent many a holidays on Lake Tenkiller at ‘The Cabin’ with their closest of family. Bill was an avid fisherman, duck hunter, and woodworker with a pinch of Red Man between his cheek and gums and smelling of an aroma resembling black-cherry pipe tobacco [vices to which he abandoned later in life]. The family invites all to leave your memories of Bill/Ozzie and view his tribute at www.ninde.com